


the one where Tony is wrong

by pure1magination



Series: Stony drabbles [7]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Anniversary, Established Relationship, M/M, Misunderstandings, POV Tony Stark, Surprise Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-01
Updated: 2017-04-01
Packaged: 2018-10-13 19:26:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10520274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pure1magination/pseuds/pure1magination
Summary: Tony has the perfect Valentine's Day planned. The only problem is, Cap doesn't seem to be up for it.In fact, Tony is pretty sure their relationship is over.(spoiler! it's not)





	

“What do you mean ‘that’s a terrible idea?” Tony switched his cell phone to the other hand, cradled it on his shoulder, fumbled to open his can of soda while walking down the hall, and upon successfully popping the tab on his Dr. Pepper, dramatically returned his cell phone to his right hand. “Rhodey, this is an _excellent_ idea! -The balloons are _not_ too much!”

Rhodey continued to chew him out over what really was a brilliant and excellent idea when Tony’s eyeroll caught something-- Steve Rogers walking into Pepper’s office. Tony drifted forward as though magnetized towards all those gorgeous rippling muscles. Captain Serious had his posture set in ramrod-straight military mode. Pepper smiled and asked some vague formal greeting. Steve started talking. Tony crept closer.

“-Valentine’s Day,” Captain Seriously Hot was saying. “Tell Tony to cancel his plans.”

Tony’s gut sank like a rock.

He knew it.

He fucking _knew_ it.

“Tony?” Rhodey was saying into his ear. “Are you even listening to me?”

“Gotta go.” Tony hung up. He headed straight for his lab.

He _knew_ this wouldn’t last. Captain Perfect was just too goddamned perfect. He’d never want to be stuck with a guy like Tony. His laboratory was a reflection of his own mind: organized chaos. He knew where everything was, and how everything worked, but he never expected anyone else to. It seemed too much to ask. He was, after all, a certifiable genius. Sure, there were scientists he could talk to about sciency things, and friends he could talk to about friendy things, and people understood little parts of him, but no one ever understood him as a whole, and part of him liked it that way, because he didn’t really _want_ someone to understand the whole of him, inside and out-- that meant being too vulnerable. Tony snapped his goggles on and fired up the blowtorch.

Dating Cap had been an adventure, that much was for sure. They’d hated each other at first, then wanted to fuck desperately all the time, but Cap’s boyscout 1940s golden boy repression meant lots of eye sex and no actual touching, and then they had eased gradually into this weird kind-of-friendship thing, and Tony wasn’t sure who saved whose life first, but after one particular close call, Tony had woken up to find himself kissing Captain-Fucking-America for _much_ longer than necessary, cracked some joke about Cap being enthusiastic about CPR, and Cap had said “shut up,” yanked him closer, and planted another long kiss right on his mouth, and after that everyone just pretty much assumed they were dating.

And Tony had _tried._ They were superheroes-- they never had much time to themselves. There was always some idiot trying to destroy New York, or the world, or the universe in general. If not destroy, conquer. And on top of that, Tony was running a business, and he was an _inventor,_ so he was pretty much always working on something, and Cap was still dealing with the whole de-icing thing-- turns out it takes a while to get used to being in a new century. But Tony had been doing his best to help. Cap seemed to enjoy it. Tony wasn’t sure where he went wrong.

But somehow, Tony _always_ did something wrong. (Tony banged on the heated metal with a hammer.) Tony had been dumped by every person he’d ever been serious about. Inevitably, Tony would do _something,_ and suddenly, his S.O. would be blowing up at him and telling him how all of his quirks were horribly annoying, he didn’t pay enough attention to them, he was too absorbed in his work, he never put them first, and when he did, it was too much, it was _always_ too much, and apparently Tony Stark just made a terrible boyfriend. (Tony banged harder.)

This was why he’d sworn he’d never date anyone seriously ever again. The thing with Pepper almost killed him. But then he’d gone and looked into those navy-blue eyes and his heart had flown right out of his chest. He’d tried to keep his admiration of Cap to a purely physical level, because ogling people was basically a hobby of his and Cap was fucking _gorgeous,_ but then Cap had to go and be _perfect._ And not even in the way everyone expected, either. The guy was funny, creative, loyal as fuck, adorably self-conscious, and he was always pushing everybody to be their best self. All this on top of the fucking legend that was Captain America. Tony still wasn’t sure whether he actually liked Captain America, but he was irrevocably in love with Steve Rogers. And as of this afternoon, it looked like that was no longer mutual.

But hey, you know, whatever. Tony was used to getting his ass dumped for being himself.

He really should have seen this coming.

*

Tony sulked in his lab all week. He avoided Steve like the plague. He pasted on a fake smile for everyone and told them all he was busy working on something, which was not totally inaccurate. He was actually working on _several_ things.

As much as Tony wanted to ignore the calendar, it stared mockingly at him from the corner of every screen. His gut wound a little tighter every time the day ticked down.

Finally, it was February 14-- the day Captain Perfect would dump Tony Stark’s sorry ass.

But Tony was ready. He’d built up his Netflix queue, booked a vacation to Aruba, and temporarily disabled J.A.R.V.I.S.’s alcohol-prevention-program. He was ready to go numb the pain on a sunny beach full of nearly-naked attractive people with two or three cocktails in-hand.

When he heard the inevitable knock on his door, Tony soberly powered down his power tools and set them down with an empty clank. He rolled his neck, then his shoulders, and turned to see Cap standing in the door looking sheepish. _Damn_ he was attractive when he was sheepish.

“Are you busy?” Cap asked as though he didn’t fucking know.

“No,” Tony answered with fake-happy nonchalance. “You?”

Cap smirked slightly. Those unfairly gorgeous eyelashes fanned down as he took in Tony’s outfit. “Are you hungry?”

Tony shrugged one shoulder. “I could be.”

“Great.” Cap cleared his throat. “Then, uh… I’ll meet you outside.”

“Kay.”

Cap’s gaze swept over Tony once more. He gave one more quick, nervous smile, turned, and headed away down the hallway.

Great. Fantastic. Cap was going to let him down _easy._

Tony _really_ didn’t want to get dressed up for this, but if that was what Steve was wearing to dinner, Tony was not about to be out-done. He’d look absolutely fucking _delicious_. Tony put on his killer-confidence business suit, a crisp white shirt, and a pair of tinted sunglasses. He made sure his watch peeked out whenever he bent his arm. He styled his hair to look as devastatingly put-together as possible and headed outside.

The limousine was waiting.

Cap nervously held open the door. Somehow he’d found the time to not only style his hair to look even _more_ like a jock-with-a-master’s-degree, he’d changed from semi-formal wear into one of the silver-blue suits Tony had picked out for him, because they accentuate his eyes.

Tony slid stiffly into the limo with one polite, cursory smile and pretended to fuss with his lapel. Cap closed the door behind him, walked around the back, and sat down on the other side. A foot of awkward space lingered between them.

The limo began to move.

Cap cleared his throat. “Sorry I didn’t tell you in advance,” he apologized. “I, uh… wasn’t sure if I’d be able to get the reservation.”

‘Reservation’? Great. They were going somewhere even nicer than Tony had originally thought. Well that was just fucking super.

At least he’d get dumped in _style._

Steve shifted awkwardly, fumbling with his fingers. “Did, um-- did I interrupt something? Back in the lab?”

“No,” Tony brushed him off.

Cap nodded. He cleared his throat. He stared out the window.

Tony stared out his.

This was turning out to be every bit as horrible as Tony had imagined. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to eat. But dammit if he wasn’t going to order the most expensive thing on the menu, just to spite him.

Cap fidgeted through the entire car ride. He kept glancing over at Tony, like he wanted to say something, but he kept closing his mouth again and looking out the window.

After what seemed like an eternity, the limo pulled up in front of one of Tony’s favorite five-star restaurants. Tony’s gut sank. He didn’t want to be dumped here. He _liked_ this restaurant! _So_ unfair.

Tony resolved to order the most expensive wine on the menu, too-- he planned on drinking the entire bottle and making Steve pay for it.

Steve smiled awkwardly at Tony and led him into the restaurant, barely touching.

The lady behind the desk seemed instantly enamored when she set her eyes on him.

“Reservation for Steve Rogers,” Steve said in his unfairly smooth, sexy voice.

“Right this way.” A waitress escorted them to a table by the window on the upper level, which overlooked a glittering cityscape reflected in the river. A menu was placed in front of each of them. Tony immediately lifted his to obstruct Cap’s view of his face.

After the waitress left, Rogers sighed. “Look, I’m sorry I interrupted your project. If it was really that important to you, we can make this short. I just thought, what with it being Valentine’s Day…”

Tony held up a hand. “You don’t have to explain. It’s fine.” Tony pretended to be very interested in his menu.

Rogers closed his gorgeous mouth. Silence hung over them until the waitress came back, took their orders and their menus. Cap was playing with his fingers.

Even the scent of the food around them was making Tony sick. He couldn’t enjoy the view, the live four-string quartet, the way Cap’s skin glowed in this low, rosy lighting- nothing. Tony was a void filled with nervousness and pain. He just wanted Cap to get it over with already.

Tony flung a straw wrapper at his perfect shoulder. “This is a little pricey for your taste,” he commented. “Usually you’re more of a steak-and-burgers kinda guy.”

Steve smiled self-consciously. “I, uh… guess I wanted to spoil you a little.”

“I’m already spoiled,” Tony quipped. He sat back and took a sip of very expensive wine. “So why tonight? What’s the occasion?”

Those perfect golden-brown eyebrows creased a little. “Valentine’s Day.”

“Yeah but _why?”_ Tony spread his hands wide.

Cap’s frown deepened. “I… thought that was important to you.”

Tony shrugged a shoulder. “It’s a Hallmark holiday, greatly over-emphasized, really just another excuse to sell more merchandise.” Tony took another long sip of very expensive wine.

“Oh.” Cap seemed to have deflated a little. He picked at his sleeve. “Well… it’s important to _me,_ especially since this marks ten months since we met.”

“Ten months long enough for you?” Tony emptied his glass and set it on the table a little too hard, but played it off as though it was nothing. He gave Cap an I-dare-you smile and crossed his arms loosely, resting his elbows on the fancy tablecloth.

Cap captured one of Tony’s hands between his two large, warm ones and held it with such care that Tony’s heart fluttered into his throat. Steve gently ran his thumb along the side of Tony’s hand and met his eyes. “It’s long enough for me,” he answered with great gravity.

Tony gulped. He was pretty sure Steve had just impregnated the air with his voice.

Steve gently lowered Tony’s hand to the table, keeping it trapped between his own. “A year ago, I never would have expected this,” he started. “I thought…” He almost laughed. “I thought you hated me.” He traced Tony’s fingers, dipped his warm, calloused fingertip into the webbing between Tony’s pointer and middle finger, slowly traced upward towards his middle fingertip, and resumed speaking. “I never hated you, though.”

Tony blinked because _what?_

Steve held Tony’s hand more securely. “I knew you were trouble from the moment we met. Dark hair, smart mouth, a don’t-fuck-with-me attitude?” Steve chuckled. “You had ‘my type’ stamped all over you. But all joking aside… this past year has been one of the most difficult years of my life. I lost _everybody-_ my family, my friends- nothing was the same. I woke up to a world I barely knew. Even my home city was alien to me, and less than a month in, I was fighting _actual aliens.”_ Steve shook his head. “But… through it all, you were there with me. And, Tony, I can’t thank you enough. I don’t know how I would have gotten through this past year without you.”

Tony blinked again. Cap was… _thanking_ him??

“I know it’s a lot,” Steve said, leaning closer, “and I know you said you’re not interested in serious relationships right now, and I get that. I know what it’s like to lose someone you love. But I…” Steve squeezed Tony’s hand. “I wanted you to know that I love you, and, with the _least_ pressure possible… I just wanted you to know that whatever direction you want to take our relationship in, I am with you every step of the way.”

Tony blinked rapidly. He almost didn’t notice their food being set down in front of them. If Cap hadn’t let go of his hand to get out of the way and lean back so the waitress could set down their plates, Tony isn’t sure if he’d have _ever_ noticed.

“Wait.” The alcohol wasn’t helping. “You _love_ me?”

Steve smiled sadly. “Too soon?”

_“Too soon?!”_ Tony repeated incredulously. “Get your star-spangled ass over here.”

Steve hesitated in surprise. Obediently, he set down his utensils, pushed back his chair, stood, and walked around to the other side of the table.

Tony pushed himself up and had his arms thrown around Steve before he came to a stop. Steve held him hesitantly. “Tony..?”

“Shut up.” Tony grabbed Steve’s collar and hauled him down for a kiss.

Tony’s head was spinning. Captain Perfect Mouth was only making his head spin more. He wasn’t sure if it was actually possible to have a PhD in kissing, but if it was possible, Steve could be teaching a class on it.

“Will you marry me?” Tony said abruptly.

Steve blinked. He had been taken completely off-guard.

Tony interrupted that adorable crease between his eyebrows with a “Steve. I’ve been in love with you since day one. I just didn’t want to admit it. But it’s been eating away at me because you’ve been all distant and I didn’t realize you were fucking doing that for my benefit, you glorious, selfless pain-in-the-ass.” Tony kissed him. “Marry me.”

“I… Tony-”

Tony kissed him again. “Not letting you talk unless it’s a ‘yes.’”

Steve laughed. Tony kept kissing him before he could answer. Steve had to physically restrain him. “How about we agree to date seriously for a while, and see how that goes?”

“We _have_ been dating for a while.” Tony kissed him. “You think we weren’t serious?”

“Tony…”

Tony kissed him again. “No, I mean it.” He put his Serious Face on. “Steve, you are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I’m in love with you. You’re _it_ for me. I don’t need to wait any longer to know.” Another playful peck. “Marry me.”

“Tony…”

“Marry me.”

Steve unexpectedly surged against Tony, pinning him to the window, and attacked his mouth in one of the most sensual, passionate kisses Tony had ever experienced. That kiss went on for so long, it left both of them breathless and half-hard. (Maybe a little more than half-hard.)

“Yes,” Steve whispered against his mouth.

“Yes?” Tony repeated, dizzy.

_“Yes,”_ Steve repeated, and kissed him again.


End file.
